Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko will attend the UEFA Cup final in Istanbul, administration officials said Tuesday, DPA reported.
Yushchenko had been intending to visit the Turkish capital for months on other business, and was `looking forward` to watching Shakhtar Donetsk play Werder Bremen on Wednesday at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, according to a statement made public by his office.
The Ukrainian leader also was planning to travel to Turkey on Wednesday for meetings with representatives of the Orthodox Christian faith, and for talks with members of the Black Sea Economic Union, a trading federation.
A meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was possible but not yet officially scheduled, according to the Ukrainian statement.
Yushchenko is a life-long supporter of Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar`s arch-rival in the Ukrainian professional league.
Shakhtar`s victory against Dynamo in the UEFA Cup semi-final, and advance to play Werder, `was proof of the success of all Ukrainian football,` Yushchenko said the day after Donetsk knocked Kyiv out of the competition.
